Cottesmore (pronounced Cotts'more as a result of its origins as Cotts Moor) is a village and civil parish in the north of the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. In terms of population it is the largest village in Rutland, and the third-largest settlement after Oakham and Uppingham. This is due in part to the presence of Kendrew Barracks (formerly RAF Cottesmore).

At the time of Edward the Confessor (mid 11th century), "Manors Cottesmore" was held, together with Greetham, by Saxon called Goda. Goda held 12 carucates of land, three of which were held in tax to the Danegeld. The King held three carucates in demesne and three socmen with 40 villeins and six bordarii held 20 carucates. Of the land held by the manor, one Goisfridus held half a carucate; he had one plough and eight villeins. Cottesmore also had 40 acres of meadow and a wood measuring a mile in length by seven furlongs in breadth.

St Nicholas' Church, Cottesmore is a Grade II* listed building. The north aisle forms a RAF chapel, dedicated in 1949 to those who gave their lives while serving at RAF Cottesmore. A stained glass window was erected to the memory of Major General George Williams Knox CB (1838-1894). The colours of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards were gifted to the church by his widow and hang in the nave. The Cottesmore Benefice is part of the North Rutland Churches group.

There are two primary schools in the parish: St Nicholas C of E (Aided) Primary School is in the village and Cottesmore Academy is on the military base.

The Cottesmore Hunt takes its name from the village (although the kennels are not now in the parish). Sir William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale brought the foxhounds he had bought from Thomas Noel to Cottesmore in 1740.

Three ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Cottesmore after the Cottesmore hunt. Prince Andrew, Duke of York commanded the minesweeper HMS Cottesmore (M32) from April 1993 until November 1994 and visited the village with members of his crew.

The Cottesmore Hunt's origins may be traced back to 1666 when Viscount Lowther made the long journey by a road with his own pack of foxhounds from Lowther Castle in Westmorland to Fineshade Abbey in East Northamptonshire. The Lowther family sold their pack to the Earl of Gainsborough.

From 1696 to 1779 there had been a joint arrangement between John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland, Master of the Belvoir, and the Earl of Gainsborough, Earl Cardigan, Lord Howe and Lord Gower, to hunt one pack on a shared basis in the huge area from Belvoir southwards into East Northamptonshire. Hounds were moved between three different kennels, including Cottesmore, each season. The Gainsborough family withdrew from this joint Hunt in 1732 and took 25 couple of hounds that began to hunt the country later known as the Cottesmore.

In 1776 Tom Noel made an agreement with Hugo Meynell, first Master of the Quorn, known as the "Father of Foxhunting". They agreed on boundaries between the Quorn and the Gainsborough pack, kennelled at Cottesmore, that enabled both packs to draw numerous coverts, including those at Owston, Launde and Tilton, nowadays well inside the Cottesmore country.

Sir William Lowther bought the pack from the Gainsboroughs and hunted the Cottesmore country from 1788 until 1802 when he became Viscount Lowther. At first he rented Stocken Hall, but later rented Cottesmore House where he kennelled the hounds, and from which the pack derived its permanent name.

Lowther made the Cottesmore Hunt more widely popular. "Earl William" and his staff wore hairy flat-topped hats, and it is believed R. S. Surtees depicted them as "The Flat Hat Hunt", with Lord Scamperdale as Master, in Mr Sponge's Sporting Tour.

The Cottesmore pack was purchased from the new Viscount Lowther in 1802 by Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 4th Baronet of Normanton Park. He employed the celebrated horse-breaker Dick Christian as whipper-in. However, after only four years, William Lowther, the new Earl Lonsdale resumed his Mastership, and continuing in office for another 36 years. Sir Richard Sutton (master of the Cottesmore Hunt from 1842 to 1847), Henley Greaves (1847-1852) and Sir John Trollope (1855-1870) provided a series of shorter Masterships up to 1870 when the Lowthers returned again. During this time a large part of the country up to Whissendine was loaned to Mr Tailby of Skeffington who, with his own pack, hunted much of the country that later became the Fernie.

Col. Henry Lowther, second son of the second Earl Lonsdale, became Master in 1870. Henry Lowther bought hounds from Tailby for £1,300. Henry lived at Asfordby before moving to Barleythorpe Hall, near Oakham, which his father purchased for him as a hunting box. Henry, who became 3rd Earl Lonsdale, built lavish kennels and stables at Barleythorpe from 1872.

New kennels and stables were built at Langham, completed in 1889. The buildings were intended to accommodate 100 couple of hounds, 50 horses, and housed most of the Hunt staff of some 40 grooms and kennelmen. The hunt's kennels moved to premises in Ashwell parish in 2004 when the former kennels were developed for housing, called Kimball Close after Marcus Kimball, Baron Kimball, former MFH.

There is an excellent chippy (The Chip Shop) opposite the church in Main Street.